Presider / Clergy Chair

This is a Presider's chair I crafted for the chapel in our local church. The priests had been using a small, uncomfortable chair and really needed an upgrade so I volunteered. This is the first chair I ever created but it did turn out very nice and the priests were ecstatic!

1-1/2" thick redwood - I used about 30 board foot of kiln dried rough cut lumber including the waste. The board foot will vary depending on the quality of lumber that is purchased. I spent around $300 on the redwood.

3/4" thick walnut - Standard 1" by 4" which is actually 3/4" by 3-1/2". I purchased a 5 foot board for $30.

2-1/2 inch pocket screws - used to attach the arm rests, back and seat. All hidden.

3/8" oak dowel - used to reinforce the back to the two sides and the leg pieces to the sides.

biscuits - used to support the leg pieces and the top of the back. May also be used when joining the multiple oak boards for the back and the two side panels.

Wood glue - I used Titebond II - every connection was glued and clamped, even those that used pocket screws, dowels or biscuits. Once glued and dried for 3 days I tried breaking the joints (using some of the waste pieces that I cut off) and the glue joint never broke....the wood broke every time away from any joint, even when there were 3 or 4 joints on the piece!

Sandpaper - I used 150, 180 and 220 grit sandpaper. Final "sanding" was a paper grocery bag! More about that later...

Tools - Table saw, router, jointer, sander, drill, biscuit joiner and clamps. Basic hand tools will always come into play as needed.

When you are picking out the lumber it is not enough that it is red oak but you must look at the grains in each board and how they will look when joined together or placed next to each other on the finished piece. If you look at the photo those are all very nice boards BUT there is one board where the grain clashes with the grain of the other boards. I cut pieces and tried to make it work but it detracted from the chair so I purchased additional boards with similar grains and it made a world of difference!

In this step I pencil sketch each piece with the finished dimensions. From that I determine if I need to join any boards depending on the width of each "raw" board and the width of each finished piece required. Its also a good time to add notes to each sketch on how the piece will be attached, angled, finished or any other special requirement that you might need to remember. (I created a better version so you don't have to try to read my pencil notes!! )

Cut each piece and assemble:

The Sides with the Armrests.

The Back with the Walnut, Top Boards and the back trim strip.

The Seat and Seat Front

Once these are assembled and the glue dried then temporarily attach the Sides to the Back. Then put the Seat in place and clamp it at the exact height (19" from ground). At this point you can put the seat cleats in place.

That finished continue to Finishing

For this step you will need 3 grades of sandpaper. Start with 150 grit, then 180 grit and finally 220 grit. Vacuum or wipe all the dust away before you seal the wood.

I took the chair apart so the Back with the Walnut and Top boards attached, the Sides with Armrests attached, the Seat with Seat Front attached and the individual Legs and triangle Armrest supports made up 8 individual pieces to finish before final assembly. As you can see in the photo I used painters tape to cover the areas that would be glued on final assembly.

I used a water based polyurethane which is great to work with but definitely raises the grain on the first coat.

Once dry I lightly sanded everything with 220 grit and recoated.

After the second coat I lightly sanded everything again with a worn 220 grit and recoated.

The third coat finishes very smooth but I wanted it even smoother so I sanded with a paper grocery bag cut into strips. I read this from an old woodworker and it works very well!! I then applied a final fourth coat.

When dry I went over it lightly with the grocery bag and it was extremely smooth!!

Start by gluing, screwing and doweling the Sides to the Back. Insert the seat and clamp right away while these are being glued so you keep the chair square. Once dry glue and screw the seat in place.

Now glue, dowel and biscuit fasten the two Legs to the sides...make sure they meet the ground at the exact same level as the Sides.

Last two pieces are the Armrest Supports. These are the little triangles that only need to be glued. I was able to put clamps on them at the angle.

This was a fun project with a lot of angles! Better yet the priests were very happy!!